Rwanda EPR Blueprint for Electronics

Rwanda is among the few countries on the continent that have a regulation governing the management of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste). This is in line with its quest to transition towards a circular economy as articulated in the recently approved National Circular Economy Action Plan and Roadmap. However, since its enactment in 2018, the e-waste regulatory framework has neither exhibited a financing mechanism e.g. through extended producer responsibility (EPR) nor any specific obligations for producers e.g. manufacturers, importers, distributors and resellers of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE); thus it has not been implemented or enforced.

Since 2022, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and, through the global Green GovStack initiative, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) have been providing technical assistance to the Government of Rwanda with the design and implementation of the EPR system for e-waste management, including identifying a digital service design and user journey for EPR producer r​egistration. Rwanda has made important milestones thus far culminating in the validation of the e-waste regulations, significant producer engagement, digital service design development for EPR registration and a well-researched baseline study on the potential EPR financing mechanism. A national e-waste strategy is also currently being prepared and the scope to include e-waste in a national waste information system is being considered.
Objectives:​
The support from the Green GovStack initiative to the development of the EPR system blueprint for e-waste in Rwanda is coming to a close in the end of November 2023. This event will be organised in order to showcase the blueprint and to provide a platform for discussion around the required implementation steps going forward. The event will also be used as a platform to invite new partners to collaborate with and support the Government of Rwanda during the implementation phase of the EPR system for e-waste. It will bring together key national stakeholders with interested parties and potential partners from across the continent and beyond, with the option to attend in person or online. The objectives of the event will be threefold:

1. 1. ​Showcase the results o​f th​e Green GovStack initiative collaboration with the Government of Rwanda in          the preparation of the EPR system blueprint and its link to the Rwanda Circular Economy Roadmap.
   2. Showcase where the EPR approach could be deployed in other countries across the continent and beyond, in particular in the context applying a digital service design and user journey for producer EPR registration with a whole-of-government approach to digital​izing this service.
   3. To identify other areas of the e-waste management system and EPR model in Rwanda that could be made more efficient through digitalization, ​​​​​​whilst garnering interest from potential partners to collaborate in the implementation phase of the EPR system, envisaged to start in 2024, under the broader context of the Circular Economy Roadmap.

The event will be centred around the three components of the EPR use case:

• • ​The e-waste and EPR legal framework – this includes the revisions to Regulation No 002 on Governing E-waste Management in Rwanda (2018) and the inputs to the new Regulation Governing Electrical and Electronic Products in Rwanda, and the defining of collection and recycling targets and the enforcement of the regulations.
  • The e-waste and EPR financing mechanism – this includes the study into the potential financing mechanisms and the EPR fee, and the set-up of a producer responsibility organisation.
  • ​The e-waste and EPR administrative arrangements – this includes the defining of roles and responsibilities, procedures and the identification of a digital service design and user journey for producer EPR registration.

All participants and speakers must register:

• Venue:  Four Points by Sheraton, KN 3 Ave, Kigali, Rwanda.
• Participate online: Zoom link will be made available upon registration.